Seeking Security

This is one of those weekends when we don't really want to blog about poker at all. The news of deadly shooting sprees in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio (a place where we played poker last September) has been stunning and saddening.

The sad truth is that something like that could happen at a poker room near you. Gun-pointing and barroom brawls are the stuff of Western movies, after all - and those were set more than 100 years ago.

We decided to open our Bible today to two sections with stark contrasts. One pictures the worst of times....

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be.... abusive.... without love.... without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash.... - II Timothy 3:1-4

Several other "end-time" sins are mentioned there, but we're focusing on the ones which seem especially timely. And sad to say....

But evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. - II Timothy 3:13 (KJV)

The old phrase says things will get worse before they get better. Right now, it takes faith to believe things will get better at all. But that's where the second section of Scripture comes in:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.... I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.... He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. - Revelation 21:1-4

A new heaven and earth are coming! Death will someday end! The crying over lost loved ones (from shooting sprees or something else) will stop!

This indeed takes faith to believe. And it comes only through faith God's plan to bring Jesus Christ back to Earth to set up His Kingdom.

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ., and he shall reign for ever and ever." - Revelation 11:15

It seems no place is safe in the U.S., after the events of this weekend. The best security you can have comes by giving your life to God and Jesus Christ - by turning away from the ways of "evil men" and putting your hope in the better world which the Bible promises is coming. May "Thy kingdom comes".... quickly.

Ryan's Hope

The final able draws near at the World Series of Poker Main Event. As we write this on Thursday evening (U.S. time), Australian champion Daniel Hachem has bowed out in 79th place. Iranian native Antonio "the Magician" Esfandiari left in 82nd.

But of course, we want to focus on the man who finished 738th. Ryan Von Bevern is married to one of our nieces, after all - and on his third try at the Main Event, he made the money. The scoreboard (which has misled us at times) shows he won a bit more than $20,200.

This is how Ryan knows where he finished. He was given a card with his ranking. The WSOP staff has to keep things organized, with so many tables going at once and the prize money increasing with every few eliminations.

ESPN even mentioned Ryan's sorta-kinda presidential campaign on its livestream of the tournament. A $20,000 payday won't buy him a big media blitz to promote his candidacy. But he achieved one thing he hoped to accomplish - and in doing that, he experienced this:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. - Proverbs 13:12

Are you hoping for a big poker payday? Perhaps your own WSOP bracelet? It might take a lot of games and a lot of patience. It took us 13 tries before we won our first tournament at a Georgia bar. But we kept the hope going. And even better, we did this....

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. - I Timothy 6:17

We took our hope of success to God, praying for His will to be done. Success in poker has come in small ways over the years. But our main reason for entering poker rooms is to share a better hope....

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13

Galatians 5 shows joy and peace are two "fruit" of God's Holy Spirit. And beyond that....

...A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time. - Titus 1:2

It's the only real hope we have beyond this life, you know. And we suspect the blessing of eternal life in the Kingdom of God will be far better than any trip to a cashier's window.

Poker Night 573: Waiting for My Dreamboat

For people of a certain age (like us), Wednesday night means discounts at Hollywood Casino Indiana. The hotel's dinner buffet is only five dollars! And the poker tournament is still the lowest price in the area at $70. Our goal was to win all that money, and maybe some more. But it's never easy....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: K-8 offsuit

We won an early pot with hidden "trip 10's." But modest losses have brought us back to our starting level of 12,000 chips. The typical slow-arriving crowd means only six people are playing at the moment, and we're in the Small Blind. No one raises. We don't either. It's a big family pot....

ON THE FLOP: K-7-9

…and it's a big start for us. Holding top pair and playing first, we bet 150 to see who's serious about these cards. Most of the table isn't. But the man on the button is. He calls, and we're heads-up.

ON THE TURN: 7

Hmmm - the board pairs. Now we must slow down, because blinds are low and anybody could be speculating. We check, and our opponent bets 500. We wonder if our 8 really is a good enough kicker with two pair, but we call to find out.

ON THE RIVER: 6

We check again. Our opponent doesn't slow down - he now bets 1,000. What does that mean? His own three of a kind? An oddball straight? Or a semi-bluff with Ace high? Knowing what players tend to do here, we conclude it's the semi-bluff. So we call.

"I've got a King," we say.

The man next to us says nothing - except to turn over 6-6! He hit a full house on the river, and leaves other players stunned; otherwise we would have won.

The first hour was filled with setbacks like that for us. We dropped to about 6,000. But then in the last hand before Break 1, we matched Q-J against a big bettor with a Queen on the flop. He went all-in for 1,100 when an Ace appeared on the river. We feared the worst, but called because we were pot-committed - and were thrilled when he showed Q-8!

That comeback hand gave us 10,575. That launched a second-hour rally, where we won bigger pots. On a 15-player night, we reached the final table with 28,600, then had slightly less at Break 2.

The third hour was huge, as we received A-A and 10-10 in consecutive hands. They were enough to eliminate two players who pushed, and balloon us to 71,800 with five players left! Then Q-10 led to a disguised straight against another big stack - and we were in the 80,000 range!

Only the top two players would win money. But when the contest dropped to three and a low stack proposed "bubble" money for third, we agreed to it. We think we were in the chip lead at Break 3, with 80,800. But the same man proposed a three-way "chop" of the prize money. Since we have a real job and an early wake-up call, we accepted it.

The final result: three players winning $235. Friendly fist bumps and handshakes. A good night for the survivors - and praise to God from us for not only the big comeback, but our second cash win of 2019!

MINSTRY MOMENT: We still are labeled a "distinguished guest" on our poker receipt at Hollywood Casino. Our first dealer saw that and was puzzled. Then he started speculating.

"If you were a knight, I could go home and tell my friends I met a knight."

No, that's not us. But then we remembered: "A well-known book says I can be a king someday - a king and a priest."

Can you guess which book? Regular readers ought to know....

And has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. - Revelation 5:10 (KJV)

We've heard ministers say through the years that this is a promise for believers who remain faithful to God until the end of their lives or the return of Jesus, whichever comes first. But as we're writing this, we notice something that could change that thinking. This is a "new song" (verse 9) - but who is singing it?

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb.... - Revelation 5:8 (NIV)

This section of the Bible apparently is based on a lengthy vision that the apostle John saw (Revelation 1:10). But people are not necessarily saying these words! There are "four creatures" with four different faces (4:6-7). So who are the "elders?"

The Bible shows churches should have people with the title of Elder....

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. - I Timothy 5:17

Yet we'd guess many more than 24 people have held the title "Elder" over about 2,000 years of church history. So why does the apostle's vision show only 24 - and are they in heaven now? We invite your comments on this; we'll offer our thoughts in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 219 final tables in 573 games (38.2%) - 47 cashes. We're six for ten in making final tables so far this year!

Into the Unknown

We've been writing about our "seven-game mix" tournament during the recent Heartland Poker Tour visit to our area. It included several versions of poker that we'd never played before, and couldn't find for online practice.

"So wait," you might be saying. "Why would you enter a poker tournament when you don't really know how to play the games?"

Yes, that thought occurred to us as well. It was a set-up for potential disaster. Yet we chose to try, anyway. In part, it was because of the opportunity to do our main goal of ministry. And in part, it was a step of faith. A famous book defines it this way....

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. - Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

 We had no way of knowing what would happen in the tournament. The order of the games wasn't even determined until we showed up.

Yet that's how faith operates - and if you think about it, poker players use more faith than they might realize. Why would you call a big bet with a draw for the nut flush? Why would you pursue an open-ended straight draw? It's due to faith that the right card could come.

But this Bible verse challenges us to make our faith bigger. It's more than an Ace on the river. It's
about believing in a God who created real rivers....

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. - Hebrews 11:3 (NLT)

Atheism demands physical proof of things. So does scientific research. But Biblical faith calls for belief in evidence that seems incomplete to the naked eye. It also calls for walking every day in that sort of faith.

Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. - I Timothy 1:19 (NLT)

Read all of Hebrews 11 to see some amazing examples of faith-filled people in history. Then put your faith "in Christ" - far more than a poker hand. When Jesus comes again (and we write in faith, based on the Bible, that He will), your faith will be rewarded.

Swimming with GPI's

Movies have the Oscars. Television has the Emmys. Even the sports world now has ESPYs. So why not an awards show for the poker world?

Nominees were announced this week for the first-ever Global Poker Awards. They're from Global Poker Index, or GPI for short - which could mean we call these awards the "Guppies."

But let's get serious: only a couple of these awards actually are for skill at the poker table. The rest are for people around poker - such as "Poker Journalist," broadcaster and outstanding Tournament Director. (Why is there no award for the best dealer?)

No, this blog did not get nominated for these awards. We didn't even know they were coming. But that's OK - because we've come to realize that while awards are nice to win and could help your resume, they don't have real lasting value. Consider these words....

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. - I Corinthians 9:25

One of our Bibles comments that the apostle Paul probably is referring here to ancient events such as the Olympics or Isthmian Games. Foot races were big events, and winners received laurel wreaths. They might last a few days, but flowers and fresh vegetation eventually withers and dies.

On the other hand, Paul found a crown truly worth seeking, which will "last forever." What could that be?

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. - II Timothy 4:8

He lived seeking a crown from God - and wrote these words of hope shortly before he died (verse 6). As another verse puts it:

...Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. - Revelation 2:10

It's at least symbolic of eternal life, which Jesus will award when He comes again and His faithful believers are resurrected. Now that's an award truly worth seeking - and it will last forever. Award show trophies won't. Not even big poker bracelets will. Which prize has your top attention?

False Alarms, True Sense

Our last post mentioned the moment of fear we had driving to a poker night. A tire warning light started flashing as we crossed a high bridge. The last thing we wanted was a flat tire there - especially on a cold winter evening.

Thankfully, a tire store was still open on the other side of the bridge. There we learned a flashing light really means a "sensor battery" to monitor the tire had failed - not the tire itself. So we could drive on to the poker room with that knowledge.

Have you ever faced something liked that, when playing poker? You sense trouble in the middle of a hand - perhaps by how an opponent is betting or a "tell" you're perceiving. It could be right. Or you may discover it was all a bluff, to scare you out of a big win.

Some people say you should run at the first sign of danger. Others say you should "curse the torpedoes - full speed ahead." We consulted a famous book filled with wisdom for the best approach you should take....

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have.... pierced themselves with many sorrows.... man of God, so run from all these evil things.... - I Timothy 6:10-11 (NLT)

This is interesting - if your "spidey sense" (to borrow from an old cartoon) indicates trouble, you should check yourself. Why would you plow on? Because you're greedy for a big pot, or want to get even with someone for an earlier pot? If that's the motive, the Bible recommends running the other way.

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts... - II Timothy 2:22 (NLT)

(For some people, this could mean not playing poker at all - but that's not really our topic here.)

But you may be convinced that moving forward is the right thing to do. (For instance, it's easy when you have a nut flush.) If so, move ahead:

And the Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward...." - Exodus 14:15 (NKJV)

At this point, God was intervening to pull a nation out of Egypt - even splitting the Red Sea in two to do it (verses 21-30). He can back your wise decisions as well. He can even come to your rescue when a decision appears wrong; we've seen this happen in tournaments more than once.

In the case of our warning light, we stopped for advice from an expert. Obviously, that's not allowed in the middle of a poker hand - but we've seen blackjack dealers offer some from time to time. And after a hand or tournament, it's worth pursuing....

The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. - Psalm 37:30 (NLT)

So feel free to comment - what was the biggest moment you've ever had in poker where your sense of trouble was right, and you had a "great lay-down"? Or even a bad one?

Poker Day 566: Flop-House

We arrived at Hollywood Casino Indiana today for an unusual (for us) Tuesday midday tournament, then discovered we could pick up a nice consolation prize.

A snack shop across the hall from the casino was offering free dessert, to mark National Strawberry Ice Cream Day! This was a $4.95 value - and c'mon, how many casinos offer free ice cream? If only we could survive to the first break, and not have to wait around for the coupon….

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: K-10 of clubs

At this point, the ice cream coupon is secured. It's the middle of Hour 2, after we overcame an early setback with pocket Kings to close Hour 1 at 13,475 from a starting 12,000 chips. We tend to fold K-10 when blinds go up and things get risky. But these are suited, so we try them. Two other players at the table of eight call.

ON THE FLOP: 10-10-K

No clubs. But no problem! We build an instant full house! A man to our right plays first, and offers 1,200. This reminds us of our last tournament in Kansas City.

"I can do 12," we say matter-of-factly. The third man can't; he folds.

ON THE TURN: 7

We doubt this helped our opponent at all. This time he checks. We want him to stick around and keep feeding our beast, so we make a hesitant-looking bet of 1,500. He calls. We're glad about it.

ON THE RIVER: 3

We should have the TV "check-mark" at this point. Now our opponent is ready to bet again - but backs off a little, to 1,100.

"No," we say. "Not enough." Forgetting it's an ice cream day, we raise to 3,100. Will our opponent take the dare? After a moment.... he does!

Then we remember the famous words a man said to oust us at a Alabama poker night years ago. "I flopped it," we say. When we show the full house, our opponent folds without showing.

"Was it that ice cream?" another player asks.

"I haven't eaten the ice cream yet," we answer with a smile.

Thankfully, the ice cream had to wait a long while. Big timely cards kept coming our way - never pocket Aces, but several winning A-K's and a couple of successful flushes. We ballooned to 36,200 after two hours of play. then reached the final table at 42,200.

Marvelous moments kept happening there. Even though we fell to 32,200 at the three-hour break, we won a sidepot with A-10 and made a big flush with 6 of hearts. Then we had three hands of 3-3 4-4 and 3-3! The first pocket pair was blown up for a full house on the river, but the other two led to double-ups - and we survived to the final three, to make the money!

After a few hands of chip shuffling, we asked a question. "Is it time to say 'chop'?" The other two men agreed to that. We wound up with $360 - seven times the $70 buy-in! We were thankful for God's guidance in making money. And since it's January, we were able to drive the free ice cream all the way home to enjoy later.

MINISTRY MOMENT: When we turned over 6-6 at the final table, one talkative opponent declared: "Satan's hand."

"Actually, that's three sixes," we said in correction.

"You'll need three sixes," he predicted in response.

That man turned out to be wrong, as the 6 of hearts led us to a winning flush. But this is a reminder that some people don't know the Bible as well as they think. Let's review his reference....

Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. - Revelation 13:18 (NLT)

Many people have made guesses about what 666 means. We will not do that here. But the prophecies of Revelation indicate the future "beast-man" will require everyone to worship it, and receive some kind of mark for trading (verses 15-17). But believers in the true God should do something else....

….This means that God's holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. - Revelation 13:10 (NLT)

You don't have to wait for an end-time beast to come to do these things, you know. The best time to start practicing these traits is now:

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. - II Timothy 2:12-13 (NLT)

By the way, there's one other 666 in the Bible - the size of a Israelite family (Ezra 2:13). We didn't find any 66's in the text. But there's one big overarching one - as the standard Bible has 66 books! Can you name all of them? And even more importantly, have you read through all of them?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 214 final tables in 566 games (37.8%) - 46 cashes. Since we crossed the 500-tournament mark in April 2017, we've had 31 finals in 66 tries.... not far from 50 percent!

Creatures of Habit

It's one thing to play poker for fun. It's another thing to play it professionally. But when your love of poker leads to law-breaking, that's another matter.

A Navy lieutenant was sentenced to prison this past week in Virginia, due to what prosecutors call a "high-stakes poker" habit. A defense attorney admitted Randolph Prince had "a terrible gambling addiction," which led to wire fraud and false tax statements resulting from sham companies getting government contracts.

There's a fine line between playing poker frequently and becoming addicted to the game. Here's one big question to ask yourself, in finding the balance: Do I feel I have to play today?

If you're playing poker to get out of debt, please realize the risk you're taking. You might wind up even deeper in debt. As one famous book puts it:

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. - I Timothy 6:10 (NLT)

The famous phrase embedded in this verse does not say, "Money is the root of all evil." No, the love of it is - the "craving" for it. That puts the blame not on greenbacks or big poker chips, but on you and me. It's about what we desire.

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. - I John 2:16 (NLT)

Put another way: Do you have a poker date - or does the game of poker have you? Has the game become a "constant craving," to borrow from an old song? If so, it could be time to replace it with something better - something that's "from the Father."

So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.... - I Corinthians 12:31 (NLT)

God wants to fill you with "gifts of the Spirit." Read the entire chapter and Ephesians 4 for an idea of what those gifts are. They're primarily for helping other people, not filling your life with luxury homes and sports cars. And isn't helping people a good habit to start?

Poker Night 558: Sing the Queen City

Not many women show up for the poker tournaments we attend. But that doesn't mean "ladies" can't have an impact at the table. Take this example from tonight's game at Jack Casino, in the "Queen City" of Cincinnati....

BLINDS: 150/300

IN THE POCKET: Q-Q

We won one early pot, but otherwise have struggled. A-Q and 8-8 both missed the flop and got us chased away. Now we have a nice pocket pair in the Small Blind, holding about 9,000 chips. But a player to our right raises to 1,000. Sorry, these cards are too nice. We call, and we're heads-up.

ON THE FLOP: 2-4-10 (suits are not an issue)

These cards mean we have an overpair - and now we're first to act. We follow our opponent's lead and bet 1,000. He calls.

ON THE TURN: 3

The lower, the better - or at least that's what it seems. In the spirit of a "turbo" tournament, we quickly offer 1,000 again. He quickly calls.

ON THE RIVER: 2

This pairs the board - but we can't imagine our opponent is holding a 2. We quickly try another 1,000. He quickly calls again. What does he have?

"I have Queens," we say as we show.

He shows.... well, no, he doesn't! He folds, never saying a word. We're left to guess. Maybe A-K?! Whatever it is, we'll happily take a pot of more than 8,000 chips.

On another slow Sunday night with only 16 entries, we reached the final table with 10,050 chips. After winning a hand there, we tried to limp in with 9-9 and the button. When no one bet a flop of J-8-7, we went big and bet 4,000. That led the leadoff player to push, and we called.... except he had J-8. His well-played trap held up, and we were eliminated in ninth place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A man we've met before remembered our "Lord's Supper" card protector, and felt led to talk quietly about his church life. He attended church with his family from roughly ages 14-24, then apparently stopped for awhile.

"I've been attending the Church of Christ down on Third Street," he told us - but admitted he hasn't gone there in more than a month.

"I think it's good to go to church on a regular basis," we responded, "so we can be reminded of what God is doing for us, and what we need to do for Him."

Let's take those two things in order. The apostle Paul gave a young evangelist this advice:

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. - II Timothy 4:2

We think a good church will emphasize "the Word" - and that means more than simply the Bible:

In the beginning was the Word.... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:1, 14

This only could be talking about Jesus Christ. His example and the Bible in general corrects us of our misunderstandings, rebukes us of sins and errors, then encourages us to walk in step with God.

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. - II John 6

Can you "walk in love", even in a poker room? We think it's possible. We'll explain how in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 210 final tables in 558 games (37.6%) - 44 cashes. Tonight marked our seventh final table in a row, going back to Labor Day!

Poker Night 549: Monsters' Ball

Courtesy Fox19.com

If we had gone to Jack Casino for poker tonight, we might have encountered this. A small "colony" of homeless people (their word for it) has set up a tent camp across from the casino.

We left it to that group to send someone inside, to try and win enough money to gain everyone housing. They probably would have done better than we did tonight at the alternative, Hollywood Casino Indiana....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: 9-9

It's the fourth hand of the night, with a full table of ten. The previous hand brought an awe-striking fold - as a woman with pocket Kings gave them up, when a man with pocket Aces went all-in pre-flop.

We were in the Big Blind then, and folded a measly 4-8. Now we're in the Small Blind, and no one has raised.

"I'm not going to do what he did," we say, "but I'll raise." We make it 150 to go, and three players take us on.

ON THE FLOP: 8s-8d-8h

It's a toll-free flop - and an immediate full house for us! This calls for a continuation bet, to see who's simply chasing big cards. We put out 400. The first opponent folds. The second calls. The third folds. So we're heads-up.

ON THE TURN: 4h

We doubt this helped our opponent at all. But what does he have? A full house of his own? We check, hoping to get a clue - but he checks, too.

ON THE RIVER: 2h

Now three hearts are showing. If he stumbled into a flush, we still have him topped. The larger concern is a larger pocket pair. So we make a rather cautious bet of 500.... and he raises to 2,500.

We've taken the lead in this hand, so we feel compelled to see it through to the end. We call. "Do you have a full house?" we ask.

"I have the 8," he says. OUCH!!! He hit quads on the flop, then waited us out! A good, well-played monster hand for him. We won a few hundred chips back minutes later with a hidden A-Q.

But then, when a man raised to 1,100, we saw pocket Aces in the Big Blind. Pushing like that earlier player did would have seemed too obvious, so we raised to 3,500. He called - and the flop was K-Q-10. For no good reason except to scare him away, we bet 5,000. Our opponent went all-in. We feared the worst, but called anyway. His cards: Q-Q. The turn and river didn't save us, and we finished our worst poker night this year - first out, in under 30 minutes.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "We're all playing with a short deck," the dealer said at one point in the early minutes.

"Now you're getting philosophical," we told him with tongue-in-cheek. But we admitted, "I need to grow in knowledge." And when our turn with the cards came, we explained, "I need to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ."

That reminder comes right out of the New Testament:

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. - II Peter 3:18

These closing words of the apostle Peter should be taken in their entirety. For years, we attended church groups that emphasized the "knowledge" part - but on knowing scriptures, more than knowing the One who is the focus of Scripture. The two should go hand-in-hand....

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. - Colossians 1:9

Spiritual wisdom means a "sound mind" (II Timothy 1:7, KJV). We'll admit we really didn't have it in our last hand of the night.

We should have realized the flop gave our opponent an excellent chance of hitting two high pair or three of a kind. Yet instead of making the awe-striking fold like that woman did, we did our own version of "going on tilt" - hoping the longshots that bit us recently would turn around and help us.

So the knowledge of Jesus Christ is important - but so is His grace. We need it, after clearly making a bad decision to go out for a poker night instead of staying home to work on other things. But thankfully, we can do this....

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. - Hebrews 4:16

Do you need God's mercy for some reason - perhaps something much bigger than a poker meltdown? Ask God for it in prayer, repenting of sin if the case requires it. He's willing to listen and forgive.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 202 final tables in 549 games (36.8%) - 41 cashes.

Paying to Play

Local poker "tours" in bars or clubs can be relatively inexpensive. Buy a soda (or some other drink). Find a seat. You might win a nice small prize.

Where those circuits don't exist, the price of poker in casinos can be more costly. We did the math this morning on the tournaments we've entered since moving to our new home area:

Jack Casino - 7 games x $80 buy-in = $560
Hollywood-Indiana - 7 games x $70 buy-in = $490

That's a total investment of $1,050 in about four months - and this is playing the least expensive games of the week. Our winnings to show for it? Despite nine final tables in 14 tournaments, so far we've earned only $69 as a "bubble boy".... plus $19 playing blackjack, to recover a bit of our losses.

If poker is your "hobby," it clearly can turn into an expensive one. Thankfully, we're at a season of life where we can afford entering on a regular basis. But if your budget is tight and you have family considerations, it's something to consider carefully. This advice is very practical....

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. - I Timothy 5:8

The context of this verse involves widows in the church. But there's a lesson here for all of us....

But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. - I Timothy 5:6

That's because the pleasure eventually ends. So will your "poker run," even if it's only for small change:

For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. - Ecclesiastes 2:21

We were reminded this morning that some things are more important than a poker bankroll....

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant or to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. - I Timothy 6:17

If your thinking is dominated by putting Aces above Kings, it's probably time for a change. Put God first. Then your family. Then pleasures and pastimes such as poker, as your remaining time and money allow. Those are the best and longest-lasting priorities.

Prophets of Profits

We told you a few days ago about Frankie Flowers - the operator of a non-profit organization in New York who did well in the World Series of Poker Main Event. He made the money, which is good. But he's now out of the running, finishing in 424th place.

Courtesy WSOP.com

Flowers earned close to $30,000. Trouble is, he talked about making much more than that. WSOP.com posted he was "prophecizing" at the Main Event about making a million dollars or more at the final table. We'll forgive the writer for not knowing the proper way to write that big word. Flowers actually may have been prophecying. Or, in street slang, he simply may have been "trash talking."

Yet some religious people have the idea that "faith talk" can lead to success - whether it be a lot of money, a spouse or something else. Where do they get that? From Bible verses such as....

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.... - II Corinthians 9:10-11

Claim that as a "faith promise," some people suggest, and the "God from whom all blessings flow" (to borrow from a famous church song) will pour them out on you.

We've admittedly seen God do that in our life - but there's a problem with that suggestion. It doesn't happen every time. The Bible nowhere shows that the first apostles died as tycoons or millionaires. In fact, the apostle who wrote the verses above wound up dying in a prison dungeon:

...This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. - II Timothy 2:8-9

You may win a lot of money playing poker. You may go bust a lot. Yet through good times and bad, the best thing to do is what Paul did. He kept his focus on God:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. - I Timothy 6:6-8

Instead of talking big, the model prayer of Jesus recommended a small request....

Give us this day our daily bread. - Matthew 6:11

Can you be content with that? The Bible indicates you should. Be thankful for whatever blessing God gives, even if it seems small. If you do, something great could come in the long run.

Flowers in the Desert

If you've dreamed of making money at the World Series of Poker Main Event.... keep dreaming until next year. This year's Main Event passed the "bubble point" early today, with all remaining players guaranteed a cash prize.

Courtesy WSOP.com

One of the intriguing stories on WSOP.com today involves Frankie Flowers. He finished Day 3 in  second place on the leaderboard, and he's already sure of where his prize money is going. Flowers operates a non-profit foundation which helps low-income people north of New York City.

If you're playing poker simply to get rich, maybe you should learn a lesson from Flowers. Or better yet, learn it from Jesus....

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." - Matthew 19:21

The Lord said this to a man who thought he kept all of God's commandments perfectly (verses 16-20). But when Jesus recommended these extra points....

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. - Matthew 19:22

Let's focus on what Jesus recommended:

1. "Sell.... possessions and give to the poor." Does that mean every penny? We don't think so - because then Flowers would be in the same predicament as the people he's trying to help. (Only a couple of Bible translations add words like "all" or "everything" to verse 21.)

But God is looking for a heart that is giving, not hoarding. After all....

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. - I Timothy 6:7

2. "Follow me." That's actually the tougher advice to accept - because it takes a lifetime of effort and study:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and may enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. - Matthew 7:13-14

This goes beyond giving, to obeying God and His Word. Challenging though it is, that narrow road results in eternal life - joining Jesus forever in the Kingdom of God.

We'll keep following Flowers, and have more on him in an upcoming post.

Signs of the Times

Some players at the final table couldn't believe their ears, when we explained a call at a recent tournament. We matched an all-in bet with our pocket 8's, after seeing a lot of 8's at our regular job earlier in the day.

Was it really a "sign from God" that we should play poker? Well, the Bible indicates God has given signs from time to time during history. One of the most famous examples involves a man named Gideon....

Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand - look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." And that is what happened...." - Judges 6:37-38

Gideon went on to ask God for a second sign, before going into battle - and God provided it (verses 39-40).

But many modern-day preachers say that's not how a believer in God should operate now. They'd say we should follow the Bible for guidance in life....

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking correcting and training in righteousness.... - II Timothy 3:16

That's very good advice, of course. But how does it translate to day-to-day decisions, such as entering a poker tournament? Or searching for a job or a mate?

One way to know God's will in a matter is to see if He blocks your plans. It happened to an early apostle:

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. - Acts 16:6-7

The Bible doesn't say exactly what kind of block God threw. Our NIV Study Bible says He could have used "vision, circumstances, good sense...." We lean toward a vision, based on what happened afterward:

During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. - Acts 16:9-10

So God also can send messages through visions, about what you should or shouldn't do. We addressed this in a post about dreams earlier this year.

Whether your big decision involves poker or not, we recommend praying to God about it first.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6

We pray before poker outing we make. Sometimes we hit it big. Sometimes we don't. But seeking God's guidance in a matter.... in any matter.... certainly can't hurt. In fact, we believe it often helps.

Remember As You Play....

Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich. - Proverbs 21:17  (NLT)

A minister on radio recently told the story of a man who lost a lot of money from gambling. Not merely millions - but TENS of millions of dollars.

The speaker concluded from this that gambling is a vice and a sin. But hold on - what about the professional poker players who make money?

Our verse warns against three things. But are those things necessarily wrong - or is the LOVE of them wrong? For instance....

You should know, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.... They will be betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. - II Timothy 3:1, 4  (NLT)

The Bible says God is love (I John 4:8) - and He wants us to love Him in return. But He wants us to make God our first love. Not poker games, or other forms of gambling where you might find "pleasure" for a short time. True love for God can lead Him to give you His Holy Spirit....

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience.... - Galatians 5:22  (NLT)

Joy should result from having the Holy Spirit in you. So how do you obtain it?

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. - Acts  3:19 (NLT)

That can include the sin of putting other "loves" ahead of love for God. You could save millions of dollars in losses - and gain eternal life in the process.

Poker Night 508: The Old Man and the Shove

On our last night before leaving a church convention, we decided there was time to try one more tournament at Casino Choctaw-Durant. The finish was better - and also more memorable:

BLINDS: 1,000/2,000

IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit

We won the first three hands of the tournament, then claimed several more after that. That's led us to the final table, after more than three hours of play. But with seven players remaining, we're now desperate. With only 2,000 chips left, good cards may have come for us in the nick of time.

"I'm all-in, and I call," we tell the table. But an older man across from us (we'd guess at least 75) is distracted by what happened a few hands ago. A woman won a big pot from him, by staying in a hand he thought she should have avoided. After accusing her of "not knowing how to play," he seems to be on tilt. Yet he doesn't raise, and five players get in for the minimum.

ON THE FLOP: K-9-4 (third card may not be precise)

This doesn't look promising for us - and even less so when players start betting. The woman to our left offers (as best we recall) 3,000. The older man responds by going all-in.

"What are you going to do?" he asks us. Answer: sit and watch.

"I'm all-in," we remind Mr. Accuser. Other players have folded, except for the woman who has him bothered. She takes a moment to think about this.

"Hurry up. I've got to go home and feed the dog," the older man says. We can't resist laughing out loud at that line. The woman finally calls, and it's time to show our cards.

The woman at our left has J-9. The older man shoved with 9-2. She's in the lead thanks to her kicker, but we have two very live cards.

ON THE TURN: 8

This card helps no one - and leaves us at the brink.

ON THE RIVER: 2

Aw, c'mon! We get knocked out, but the older man gets an amazing escape by hitting a second pair. So he starts singing the chorus of "Old Man River" - and we almost join him on the final notes, as we shake his hand!

We leave in seventh place, on a night with only 16 players. But at least we can say we made a final table at a casino where big tournaments happen - and we leave with the funniest poker story we've had in a long time.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We carried our "Lord's Supper" card protector again, and showed it to a woman sitting next to us. "What do you think of Jesus?" we asked her. She seemed surprised by the question.

"I'm not sure what you mean," she said. "He did everything He came to do.... He came to save the world."

It turned out that woman and two others at our table admitted to having Jesus as their Savior. That's good. But is that saving work finished yet?

...God our Savior.... wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. - I Timothy 2:3-4

That's what God wants. But we fear that's one place where skeptics point fingers of doubt. If God is all-powerful, can't He achieve what He wants? Why have some notorious people died, seemingly without coming close to being saved?

The answer may sound strange, but it's this: God is not trying to save everyone now. It would be great if that happened, but it's not the plan....

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.... - Romans 11:25-26

By "Israel," we think the apostle Paul refers to members of the "12 tribes" descended from Old Testament Israel (Romans 9:4/11:1). God has opened a way at this time for people outside those tribes to enter His family, while....

...The others were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." - Romans 11:7-8

If some of our posts about the Bible leave you puzzled or confused.... well, believe it or not, we understand your confusion. In fact, it may be part of God's grand plan. We'll explain more about that in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 185 final tables in 508 nights (36.4%) - 37 cashes. This was our first final table since June; we'd missed five in a row.

Hey, Big Spenders

We're not in a place where we can watch the relaunched Poker After Dark. But the show is making news for some big pots - and big blunders.

One hand posted this weekend finds pocket Aces getting crushed on the flop, when a man with A-4 gets trips with a 5-4-4 flop. The man with Aces apparently assumed a raise was a bluff; he re-raised, then went all in on the turn.

This is a classic case of "loose" play versus "cautious" play. A TV series like this tends to encourage looseness; this pot wound up totaling $980,000. But for the cautious player, an opponent raising on the  flop would have set off alarm bells.

So what sort of poker player are you? If you're playing with real money in a cash game, we'd bring up this verse....

A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. - Proverbs 12:26

"Righteous" people might come across as cautious people. That's because they don't want anything to soil their righteous reputation. But if the righteousness comes from their own standards, there's a potential problem:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. - Isaiah 64:6

Our righteousness, as cautious as we might be, ultimately doesn't amount to much. We need something better.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.... - Romans 3:21-22

People who put their faith in Jesus receive God's version of righteousness. There might still be caution after that, but only because they don't want to bring shame on the name of Jesus in whom they've put their faith.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness.... - I Timothy 6:10-11

Loving God and Jesus Christ leads to the right kind of righteousness. Being loose and "eager for money" does not. In fact, it can lead to costly mistakes. That advice may help you far from a table filled with Aces.

There Are No Words

Poker rooms can be quiet places. Sometimes that's what the players prefer; even writing a few comments in an online game can get you called out for talking too much. But sometimes, the players can't speak at all.

A casino in Ohio held a poker tournament this weekend for hearing-disabled players. We'd never heard of a "Deaf Poker Championship" before. But the one in Toledo had 59 players, a $1,605 top prize - and apparently some intense play, as it took nine hours to determine a winner.

As we thought about this, this idea made a lot of sense. As one dealer said at a recent tournament we entered, "Poker is a visual game." Players might "announce a raise," but in truth they don't really have to say a thing. You tap the table to check. You set chips in front of the line to bet. The dealer can move cards forward and back to show which hand is best.

Believe it or not, we've heard some ministers say hearing-impaired people cannot become real Christians. They might turn to Bible verses like this....

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. - Romans 10:17

Their logic is: if people cannot hear, how can they have faith? But we think this logic is misguided. Here's why....

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. - Psalm 119:18

Thanks to the printing press, and more recently the Internet, "wonderful things" about God can be read as well as heard. People can come to understand God's plan of salvation by carefully studying the Bible.

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. - I Timothy 4:1

That's a scary warning, but we'd like to focus on the start of that verse. The Holy Spirit says things?! Yes - not audibly, but through the written word speaking to the hearts of people seeking God.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. - Revelation 2:29

If you're paying attention when you read the Bible, the Holy Spirit of God may be "speaking" to you through its words. That's why it's good to ask God when you read for the Bible's words to be made clear - so you know exactly what God would have you do.

Come to think of it, something might be even better than having hearing-impaired people "hear" God through print. Can you guess what that might be? We'll get to it in our next post.

Poker Day 505: Missed-8-ment

"I'm here for the food," we told several people over the weekend. We drove to Tulsa, Oklahoma to claim "free birthday burger" offers from restaurants that are not in our home area. Before heading to Ruby Tuesday for a Sunday burger dinner, we stopped at a casino to see if we could win money to cover the trip.

Two Tulsa casinos compete against each other for poker players quite a bit. In fact, both have Sunday morning tournaments. River Spirit's "Sunrise Showdown" at 9:30 a.m. costs more, at $60 including "dealer appreciation." But that meant it offered the biggest reward - and since we won money there last year, we hoped to succeed there again.

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: J-J

It's been a stormy Sunday for us - with fairly big losses, but also fairly big gains. In the second hour of play, a Jack of diamonds led to a big flush win. Now with two tables left, we have good starting cards at a table of seven and about 10,000 chips. We're relatively late in the order, but we decide to call and see if others raise. They don't. About half the table is in.

ON THE FLOP: 6-6-8

Small cards look good to us. But as we recall, a man across the table mishandles his chips a bit - putting one in, then announcing a bet of 1,700. The dealer makes him take back all but the minimum 600.

"I know what he meant to do," we say a bit tongue-in-cheek, "so I'll bet 1,700." That man calls; everyone else is out.

ON THE TURN: 4

This still looks good - and now our opponent checks to us. We bet 1,700 again.

"Raise," he says - and doubles the bet to 3,400. We consider what he wanted to do on the flop, and conclude he has an 8. Therefore, our second pair tops his - and we call accordingly.

ON THE RIVER: 10

We've seen enough to win, right? Well, not so fast. Our opponent now puts out 4,000. We're still not convinced, and think he's trying to scare us away. Besides, if he happens to have a 10, we're still better.

"I only have 600 more to go all-in," we say - and we do. A shove earlier in the hour brought a good read that our A-10 was better than an opponent. He had A-5, but we wound up splitting the pot.

The opponent calls without hesitation. "I have a 6," he says - and proves it. Ouch!! This time our read was all wrong - and we wind up leaving the room in 15th place, out of 34 players.

We should have realized a couple of things here. We got burned by a hidden three of a kind early in the tournament (a Big Blind 3-10, that turned into a full house for a woman). And we should have been more careful, saving our last 600. At least that would have kept us in the game for a few more hands. One too many bad decisions cost us dearly.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We're not sure what topic they were discussing, but one poker room staff member said to another before the tournament, "You're preaching to the choir."

To which we responded: "Sometimes the choir needs to be preached to."

Our apologies for the bad grammar. But we've sung in a few church choirs over the years - and while we realize the woman's phrase is a common cliché, choirs are not filled with perfect people. In fact, neither is the community of preachers. A New Testament writer seemed to realize this well....

...You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?... You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? - Romans 2:21, 23

Paul wrote these words to Jews who considered themselves morally superior (verses 17-18) - but we all have to be careful. Nothing says "hypocrite" more than someone accusing others of doing the very "wrong" that they do. How did Paul know that so well?

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. - I Timothy 1:15

Paul undoubtedly recalled his track record of persecuting believers in Jesus. But Jesus intervened in his life by striking him down on a trip to Damascus (Acts 9:1-16). Paul turned into a believer - but even believing ministers like him can face battles with sin. We'll talk about that in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD:  183 final tables in 505 games (36.4%) - 37 cashes. Our record in Oklahoma now stands at two final tables in four games.

Gambling Town?

With a title like that, you might think we're going to comment on Las Vegas. Or Atlantic City. Or maybe Monte Carlo. But we're not.

We heard a radio preacher say this morning that Antioch was a place where people "loved to gamble." Antioch was a major city in the Roman Empire as the early Church developed.

Yet when we did an online search for "Antioch gambling," we didn't find a New Testament place - we found a town in northern California with a casino. When we added "Bible" to the search, ancient Antioch came up. But Bible resources didn't mention anything about the city's gambling history. And the preacher didn't give a source for his statement - simply "historians."

So maybe ancient Antioch isn't famous for gambling after all. But it became famous for other things:

Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. - Acts 11:20-21

Perhaps some people were persuaded to give up gambling and start serving God. The Bible doesn't say. If they did, they made a good choice. But it may not have been easy....

...Persecutions, sufferings - what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. - II Timothy 3:11

A church group developed in that city, with this Biblical note....

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. - Acts 11:26

This may explain why many church groups today have "Antioch" in their names. Skeptics may have thought the believers took a wild chance with their lives. But the Christian way is the path which leads to eternal life - a grand prize, if ever there was one.